“I’m over this gloomy weather,” Stori said. “Maybe we should have a girls’ weekend getaway. Somewhere sunny and warm. Hudson has a place in Florida where we can crash.”
“It’s nice having an older brother who’s wealthy, huh?”
“He can be annoyingly protective. But that’s because of his experience,” she said, her facial expression softening. “I can’t even imagine what he endured.”
Hudson and his friends were kidnapped when they were boys. She didn’t talk about it much, and I respected that. Iremembered hearing about their return on the news. But like everything else, other news took over, and the story got buried.
“How’s everything going with you?” Stori asked.
“It’s been busy at work, and I’m getting the guest room ready for my grandfather.”
“Need help?” She sipped her coffee. “How long is he staying?”
“I’m all set. Thanks, though.” I stretched my neck, trying to release the ache. “He’s staying for six months.”
Stori considered me with dark brown eyes and one arched eyebrow. “Are you okay? And don’t say brush it off. You look tired.”
“I can’t explain it.” I let out a sigh. “Been feeling off lately. Maybe I’m just worried about my grandfather.”
“Or maybe you just need to get laid.” Stori laughed.
“Look who’s talking.” I rolled my eyes.
“Being single suits me.” She smirked. “My coworker set me up on a blind date last week.”
My eyes widened. “What?” Stori had just recently broken up with her boyfriend after catching him with another woman at an event she was also attending. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was nothing worth sharing, believe me.” She waved a dismissive hand. “The guy spent the night talking about golf and his vacation home in Hawaii. Ezra, the videographer at work, was at the same restaurant with her friends. So I invited them to join us.” She leaned in and beamed. “And guess what?”
“You like golf now?” I laughed.
“No! Ezra and the guy, Tim, couldn’t stop gushing over each other the entire night. I matched them up perfectly. Want me to introduce you to someone?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“No thanks. I’m not in the right mindset to date yet,” I said as the image of the rugged titan flashed in my head. “But a customer asked me outyesterday.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened. “Is he cute? One of your regulars?”
“Never met him before. He’s very attractive, but I’m not ready. Besides, it’s weird going on a date with a stranger. I’m not into blind dates.”
“You need to do something fun, though. I’m attending a book signing at the Isabella Stewart Museum next Friday night. Wanna come? It’ll be fun.”
Not in the mood to socialize, I declined. “I’ll pass. How’s your novel going?”
“Still working on it. Which is why I need to attend this event so I can manifest my dream. One day I’ll be signing a book for you.”
“I wouldn’t miss that day for anything.” I smiled and finished my coffee.
A scream split the air outside. “Help!Call the police!”
Stori and I exchanged glances and rushed out the door. We found a woman hunched over in the street, vomiting. While Stori stayed with her, I noticed an old woman in a burgundy coat standing not too far away. She swayed on her feet and reached out with one arm, but there was nothing nearby to stabilize her. As I rushed over, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed into my arms.
I carefully lowered her to the ground. “Are you okay, ma’am?”
When she didn’t respond, I shouted for someone to call 911 as I unzipped her coat and performed CPR on her.
“Is she okay?” asked a man wearing dark-rimmed glasses, crouching beside me. “I’m a doctor.”
“Not sure.” I shifted, allowing him to take over. Even though I’d taken several first aid classes, a real emergency was completely different from practice. The adrenaline rush alone was nojoke.
